Man oh man. Knots drops his first 2.2 level, and i'm hesitant at first, but I grew to love this.

Let me get some of the complaining out of the way first. Some of the transitions are wack as fuck. The sudden change to a temporary vertical ball was unexpected and slightly unwelcome, but you get used to it with practice. Some camera controls could have definitely used some work, the sudden snap to "broken_elevator" was not visually appealing in the slightest. Some color usage and movements are also a little weird (particularly in the latter parts). Okay, I think that's it. Now we get into why I love this level.

First of all, EXCELLENT theming. I like the idea of a computer program whose purpose is to help users cope with depressive problems and help people engage more, and managing to turn that into a level which looks awesome. I love some of the elements Knots puts in, such as the always on-screen UI, some elements of displays and computer programs, and all of the small details that make the level feel more full. Hell, as it would turn out, there's an entirely separate room for the coin route, which I didn't even realize EXISTED until I watched Nexus's video on the level. Definitely startled me, but it's definitely the most shocked i've been at a level in a damn long while. And despite what I complained about earlier, the actual color palette is great, and I love how it builds itself up as the level goes on. (Did you notice that the colors get added to the top left corner UI as they appear?) The designs are clean as always with Knots, and always innovative. I especially love the "do_not_blink" part.

The gameplay's nothing to write home about, but it is actually pretty fun, which i'm happy with. Sightreadability somehow isn't an issue, and I like how the kind of gameplay reflects the theming of certain parts. More creators should do that. Speaking of which, song representation is very good. I've heard some people don't like the song, but I really love it, even if it is a little goofy.

I would say that this is Knots' best work, largely because the theming works so well with their gameplay and decoration style. It's a very hypnotic and monotonous level and while that may sound negative I think it works in service of this level really well- the vibe is dead on. I think the main problems with this level lie in its transitions; they're very spontaneous and they often get in the way of the enjoyment of the level as well as the theming at times, not helped at all by some shoddy camera work in the second half. Still, I'm surprised I liked this level as much as I did- there are a lot of really genius parts present here like the first swing that feel too good to be in a 7* gauntlet level.

feels like an atmospheric level filled to the brim with details, cant believe this was the first 2.2 level from the goat 🔥